NE10 LANDING PAGE - DII 50th ANNIVERSARY

Founding Member of Division II and the NE10.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - American International College has been a proud member of NCAA Division II since its inception in 1973, but the institution also has a distinction that only two other schools can claim: it is a founding and current member of the Northeast-10 Conference. 

Less than a decade after the formation of Division II, Director of Athletics Milt Piepul led AIC into the newly-formed Northeast-7 - as the league was called for its original seven members (AIC, Assumption, Bentley, Bryant, Hartford, Springfield, Stonehill). Piepul was later named to the NE10 Hall of Fame as an inductee in the inaugural Class of 2006. 

Prior to the NE-7, AIC was a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) - a non-playing conference. For women's sports, AIC was in the Massachusetts Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) beginning in 1969 when the institution added softball, remaining in the association until the NCAA began sponsoring women's sports in 1981. 

Since joining the NE10, AIC has recorded seven national titles - six individual and one team - in the sports of cross country and track & field. Both Callum Elson and Ezra Mutai won multiple NCAA titles, as Elson won the indoor mile and outdoor 1500m in 2022 and Mutai won cross country in 2019 and the outdoor 10K in 2021. 

AIC, an institution that has long been in the center of the NE10 footprint in Springfield, received longtime leadership from Piepul - as well as Bob Burke and Richard Bedard - two other NE10 Hall of Fame inductees. Burke led AIC as Director of Athletics from 1986-2006 and also served as the second commissioner in NE10 history from 1990-95, and again from 1997-98. Bedard expanded the school's programs to include cross country and track & field, which cleared the way for AIC to become a Division II powerhouse on a national scale. 

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• In 1985, the AIC men's basketball team won the Regional Championship with an 80-74 victory over Sacred Heart. Mario Elie - future three-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs - was the standout player for the Yellow Jackets. During his career at AIC, he was a three-time NE10 Player of the Year and he was named NE10 Rookie of the Year in the 1981-82 season. Elie was inducted into the NE10 Hall of Fame in 2006. 
• AIC made several trips to the College World Series in baseball (1991) and softball (1996-97) behind two NE10 Hall of Fame figures in Dana LeVangie and Judy Groff. LeVangie, a former baseball player at AIC, served multiple roles with the Boston Red Sox through the team's most recent four World Series championships (bullpen catcher, scout, bullpen coach, pitching coach). Groff coached AIC softball for 43 years and led the Yellow Jackets to 14 NCAA Division II Tournaments and a pair of CWS appearances. She also started the volleyball program at AIC in 1974 and coached for 15 seasons. 
• In 2006, the AIC women's basketball team advanced to the national championship game for the first time in program history - losing to Grand Valley State, 58-52. The Yellow Jackets defeated NE10 champion Southern Connecticut in the regional final that year and were led by Sharmion Selman - the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast Regional and WBCA All-American, the first in program history. 
• Dominic Smith captured the 2012 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championship title in the 400m at the Myers Fieldhouse on the campus of Minnesota State University-Mankato. He finished in a time of 47.84 seconds to claim the first national title in AIC history. He would be followed by Elson and Mutai, as well as the AIC Indoor Distance Medley Relay (2016) and Leakey Kipkosgei (Outdoor 3000m steeplechase in 2019), as track & field national champions. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DIVISION II

Rhonwen Peters, Head Coach of Field Hockey/Senior Woman Administrator

"As an alumna of American International College and a former Division II athlete, I deeply value the commitment of Division II to prioritizing diverse aspects of life. AIC offers students the opportunity to explore a myriad of academic interests while simultaneously excelling in their respective sports at a high level. Division II is an excellent fit for AIC because it empowers our student-athletes to pursue excellence both on the field and in their academic pursuits, eliminating the need to choose between the two. The motto 'Life in the Balance' resonates with me, as it not only guided my personal journey but continues to do so for my student-athletes. It allows us to prioritize various facets of life, emphasizing growth not only on the field but also in the classroom and within the community. As a coach, my goal is to witness development in every aspect, and coaching at a Division II institution allows me to do just that." 

Division II 50th Anniversary - American International College

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.